Electrolytic meter.



No.80&232. PATENTED DE0.26,190&

A.Ih R.ELLIS. ELECTROLYTIC METER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22,1904.

E :53 7 in 1 4 d a a w fl Cdtnesses UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALVARADO L. R. ELLIS, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GEN- ERALELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTROLYTIC METER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

Application filed June 22, 1904. Serial No. 213,604:-

To all 1071,0771 it Jim/7 concern:

Be it known that I, ALVARADO L. R. ELLIS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectrolytic Meters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric meters, and particularly to meters ofthe electrolytic type. Its objects are to effect certain improvements inthe construction of meters of this type whereby they are made morecompact and less liable to breakage and to provide what has been termeda second-dial eifectthat is, two or more scales so related that theregistration is transferred from one scale to another, and the fullregistration 011 one scale at the time of the transfer to the nexthigher scale produces a definite registration on the higher scale.

The novel features of my invention will be definitely indicated in theclaims appended hereto.

The details of construction and the mode of operation of my improvedelectrolytic meter will be better understood by reference to thefollowing description, taken in co1mec- 'tion with the accompanyingdrawings, which show the preferred embodiment of my invention, and inwhich- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the meter, and Fig. 2 asection on line 2 2 of Fig. 1..

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a glass vessel, preferably closedhermetically at all points. The upper portion of the vessel is expandedinto a bulb 2, the lower edge of which I is curled under to form aninwardlyproject ing lip 3. An annular chamber or pocket is thus providedby the lip 3 and the outer wall of the bulb 2, and this chamber isfilled with mercury or some other metallic conducting substance, whichconstitutes the anode of the meter. A glass bulb 5 is sealed into bulb2, communicating with the annular anodechamber 4. This bulb is filledwith mercury and in accordance with well-known principles maintains themercury in the anodechamber at a constant level. The remainder of thevessel 1 is filled with the electrolyte 6, which may be a solution ofmercurous nitrate or any other suitable solution. Immediately below bulb2 the vessel 1 is enlarged slightly, and this enlargement is providedwith a number of inwardly-projecting radial arms 7, which supportcentrally of the vessel a hollow cone-shaped piece 8, having its smallerend downward. This cone or funnel is made of platinum or other metal ormay be of some other material having its inner surface covered withplatinum foil and forms the cathode of the meter. A platinum orplatinum-tipped wire 9 is sealed into the bulb 2, communicating with theanodechamber 1, and a similar wire 10 is sealed into the enlargement inthe vessel 1 and connected to the cathode 8.

Immediately below the cathode 8 in vessel 1 and also, centrally disposedis a tube 11, funnel-shaped at its upper end and secured in position byarms 12, which are fused to the sides of vessel 1, openings beingprovided between the arms 12 of suflicient size to permit the free flowof a liquid therethrough. The tube 11 is closed at its lower end exceptfor a tube 13, having a very small opening, not greater than .005 of aninch, therethrough, which is sealed into tube 11 close to its lower endand which is bent downward, as shown. Tube 11 is graduated, or a scale14 is mounted alongside the tube and provided with suitablescale-markings. A tube 15, closed at its end, is sealed into the lowerend of vessel 1 and extends upwardly into the vessel, as shown. Thistube is graduated, or a scale 16 is mounted therein, though the scale 16may be arranged in any other way desired to show the height of theindicating fluid in the receptacle 17 at the bottom of the vessel 1.

As thus constructed the meter is connected in circuit by means of theleads 9 and 10 in any suitable relation for metering the flow ofcurrent. hen the electric energy is being used, the mercury or otherfluid constituting the anode in the chamber 4 is deposited on thecathode 8 and falls by gravity into the tube 11. The mercury in tube 11does not, however, flow through the tube 13, as its surface tension issuflicient to prevent this until such an amount has been deposited intube 11 that its accumulated weight is sufficient to overcome thesurface tension and force the mercury through the small opening in tube13. When this occurs, the entire column of again accumulates untilanother column of equal height is formed therein. This arrangementtherefore gives the second-dial effeet. The opening in tube 13 may be sosmall that tube 11 is filled with mercury before any passes through tube13, and the annular chamber at the bottom of the vessel may be of suchsize that the entire column of mercury in tube 11 when transferred tothe chamber 17 rises only a short distance around the tube 15. Themarkings on scale 14 should therefore subdivide the height to which themercury rises in tube 11 before any passes through the tube 13, and themarkings on scale 16 should be spaced to indicate the height to whichthe mercury rises in chamber 17 each time tube 1 1 is emptied into it.Scale 14 may thus be arranged to denote units of energy or current andscale 16 tens or hundreds of units.

As shown in the drawings, tube 11 has been filled once to the 100 mark,and. the mercury therein has then passed through tube 13 and droppedinto receptacle 17, thus transferring the registration of one hundredunits from scale 14 to scale 16, and tube 11 has again filled to the 2Ounit-mark, so that the reading of the meter is 120 units.

If desired, a third scale can be provided. in a similar manner.

To restore the meter to its initial condition after a reading has beenmade, it is only nec essary to turn the meter bodily to an invertedposition, carrying the upper end to the right, thus permitting all themercury from the annular chamber at the bottom of the vessel and fromtube 11 to flew back into the bulb 5 and the anode-chamber 4.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-

1. An electrolytic meter having an anode, a cathode, two receptacles forthe electrodeposited material, and means dependent upon the surfacetension of the deposited material for emptying the entire contents ofone recep tacle into the other.

2. An electrolytic meter having an anode, a cathode, a receptacle forthe electrodeposited material having a small opening at the lower endthereof, a second receptacle below said opening, and means to indicatethe amount of electrodeposited material in each of said receptacles.

3. An electrolytic mercury-meter having an anode-chamber, mercurytherein, a cathode, a receptacle for the electrodeposited mercury, atube having a capillary opening therethrough sealed into the lower endof said receptacle, and a second receptacle below said tube.

4. An electrolytic mercury-meter having an anode-chamber, mercurytherein, a cathode, a graduated receptacle below the cathode forcollecting the electrodeposited mer cury in a single column, a secondgraduated receptacle, and means dependent upon the height of said columnfor permitting the flow of the mercury constituting said column into thesecond receptacle.

5. An electrolytic mercury-meter having an anode-chamber mercurytherein, a cathode, a receptacle for the electrodeposited mercury havinga small opening at its lower end, a scale-plate for the receptacle, anda second receptacle below said opening and a scale-plate for the secondreceptacle.

6. An electrolytic meter comprising a glass vessel, an anode, a cathode,and an electrolyte therein, electrical connections therethrough to theanode and cathode, a receptacle within the vessel directly below saidcathode having a small opening at its lower end, a second receptaclebelow said opening, and means to indicate the amount of electrodepositedmaterial in said receptacles.

7. An electrolytic mercury-meter comprising a glass vessel, ananode-chamber therein, mercury in said chamber, a cathode having ametallic surface supported within the vessel, a tube funnel-shaped atits upper end directly below the cathode, a tube having a small openingtherethrough connected to said tube at its lower end, and a receptaclebelow said tubes.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of June,1904.

ALVARADO L. R. ELLIS. l/Vitnesses:

DUGALD MoK. MOKILLOP, JOHN JAY WALKER.

